I recently finished reading 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans by Karl Pillimer. Basically, the author interviewed thousands of elderly individuals and couples regarding life lessons. The book can be found here.
A few bits of wisdom from the book:
on one's personal development-
People become trapped by their own conception of their limits, such that they come to resent even being asked to step beyond them.
on relationships and death-
Send flowers to the living. The dead never see them.
on happiness-
Happiness does not depend on how much we have but is based on personal success of skills and artistry, a sense of humor, the acquisition of knowledge, the refinement of character, the expression of gratitude, the satisfaction of helping others, the pleasure of friends, the comfort of family, and the joy of love.
on doing things now-
Never imagine that there will be time later to accomplish something, because that later time will turn out to have been yesterday.
on one's attitude-
You are not responsible for all the things that happen to you, but you are completely in control of your attitude and your reactions to them. If you feel annoyance, fear, or disappointment, these feelings are caused by you and must be dug out like a weed. Study where they came from, accept them, and then let them go. If you let outside pressures determine how you feel and what you do, you have just abdicated your job as CEO of your own life.
on what to do when worrying-
Avoid the long view when you are consumed with worry and focus instead on the day at hand.
on worrying-
The key characteristic of worry, according to scientists who study it, is that it takes place in the absence of actual stressors; that is, we worry when there is actually nothing concrete to worry about. This kind of worry - ruminating about possible bad things that may happen to us or loved ones - is entirely different from concrete problem solving. When we worry, we are dwelling on possible threats to ourselves rather than simply using our cognitive resources to figure a way out of a difficult situation.
-Joe
No comments:
Post a Comment